Step Five: Institutionalize QI among Staff

Technical Assistance (TA)

The council consults on TA requests from health centers and health-serving organizations seeking to create meaningful youth development opportunities, such as youth advisory councils, one to multi-day trainings. Contact the council to improve your health center environment and cultivate youth-led approaches to health care delivery.

Youth-Informed Initiatives

The council assists with the creation of youth-focused content for the Alliance’s initiatives, providing tools and resources for youth-focused integration within SBHCs, and strategies for creating youth advisory councils in schools.

Training

Through webinars and workshops, the council disseminates youth perspectives on issues critical to youth safety and wellbeing, such as food insecurity, mental health, and substance use. The council conducts a live webinar every spring and workshop at the National School-Based Health Care Convention.

Media Marketing

The Youth Advisory Council (led by the Media Marketer) maintains a public presence through social media, outreach to the field and public about youth-related content, website and marketing materials design, and coordinated Alliance communications.

Blogs

YAC members share blogs on specific youth related topics, as well as their personal experiences and work with the school-based health care field. Blog posts are published on the Alliance website and included in the second digest of the month.

‘Be the Change’ Youth Training Program

YAC members plan and facilitate ‘Be the Change’ Youth Training Program, an annual opportunity for youth to connect with like-minded peers from around the country who are passionate leaders of change in their schools and communities. ‘Be the Change’ offers young people a platform to grow in knowledge and confidence as directors of their own health and champions of youth voices. *Engage-Advocate-Impact-Lead*

Fostering Connections

Through virtual and in-person networking, the YAC builds and maintains connections with youth passionate about school-based health. Through social media and mobile messaging apps, the YAC invites youth to participate on various campaigns, initiatives, and blog posts.